Review of Thomas Groome, "Sharing Faith: The Way of Shared Praxis" -- By: Noel Beaumont Woodbridge

Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 10:1 (Sep 2010)
Article: Review of Thomas Groome, "Sharing Faith: The Way of Shared Praxis"
Author: Noel Beaumont Woodbridge


Review of Thomas Groome, Sharing Faith: The Way of Shared Praxis

Noel B. Woodbridge1

Groome TH 1999. Sharing faith: a comprehensive approach to religious education and pastoral ministry: the way of shared praxis. New York: Barnes and Noble.

Introduction

As a member of the religious education faculty at Boston College, Thomas Groome has for a number of years been working on and refining an approach to Christian education, which he calls shared Christian praxis. His interest in developing this approach emanates from a concern that arose during his doctoral work. He pursued it diligently in his dissertation, in a series of essays, and later in this and other books.

1. Summary of the Book

In this book Groome introduces his shared Christian praxis model, which provides a conceptual framework occasioning the intersection of narrative and action. This is achieved through ‘a dialectical hermeneutic’, in which critical reflection on present praxis and the

Christian Story/Vision provides a rationale and motivation for renewed praxis.

Groome’s shared Christian praxis is constructed with the purpose to facilitate a dynamic interaction between present-day action and the Christian Story/Vision, which includes the Christian Scriptures and tradition (Story) and the ‘lived response’ to the Story (Vision), in order to promote action authentic to the Christian faith. Groome’s ‘theory/method’ is multifaceted and draws on a wide range of social and anthropological theories, educational theory and practice, philosophical thought, and theological understanding and insight.

The list of activities of shared Christian praxis below follows expression in Sharing Faith (Groome 1999:146-148):

Focusing Activity

Movement 1 Naming/expressing ‘present action’

Movement 2 Critical reflection on present action

Movement 3 Making accessible Christian Story and Vision

Movement 4 Dialectical hermeneutics to appropriate Story/Vision to participants’ stories and visions

Movement 5 Decision/response for lived Christian faith

2. The Meaning of Key Concepts in Groome’s Shared Christian Praxis Model

2.1. Dialectic

The Oxford Dictionary (2000) defines the philosophical term word dialectic as a ‘method of discovering the truth of ideas by discussion and logical argument and by considering ideas ...

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